Rossignol

Rossignol makes skiing more fun—online and off piste

"If there's one word that describes Rossignol, it's passion." That's something CEO Bruno Cercley's company has in common with its legions of fans: passion for mountain sports, for skiing and snowboarding, and for the best gear to enjoy everything the mountains have to offer.

Whether you're off piste or on the bunny slope, the right equipment is critical to riding safely and smoothly—and having a great time doing it. As a 100-year-old alpine equipment icon, Rossignol is preparing for what the next century of mountain sport has in store. The company is working with salesforce.com to better connect winter sports enthusiasts to the company—and to each other.

"Creating a social profile of our customers is the basis of everything," says Cercley. "Knowing our customers helps us offer interesting services that will benefit them." Like modifications to equipment to help a skier carve tighter turns. Or a training regimen aligned with a skier's goal to master her favorite double black diamond run.

"We want to create a positive experience so people stay with our brand, buy our products, and help us in return by giving feedback to improve our products," says Cercley.

Bragging rights for social networks

Skiers and snowboarders love to gather in the lodge après ski and re-live their best runs. Rossignol's mobile Ski Pursuit app tracks daily and season-long performance, capturing information like average speed, maximum speed, distance, and descent—perfect for settling disputes over who had the most vertical gain or the fastest downhill speed. And for the stats skiers are particularly proud of, Ski Pursuit can share details on Facebook or Twitter.

"We're committed to developing tools to get closer to our customers," says Sylvain Noailly, VP, Marketing and Business Development. "That's the most important thing a brand has."